Foldable phones and 5G connectivity are all the rage this year at Mobile World Congress. Not to be left behind, MediaTek wants to power many of these future 5G devices much like how it powers most voice-activated assistants and mainstream smartphones today.

According to the press release, the Helio M70 modem promises 5G download and upload speeds of up to 4.7 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps, respectively, in sub-6 GHz band environments. MediaTek claims it to be the "fastest sub-6 GHz live 4G modem demonstration to date".

It's not all about 5G either as the the modem will feature 2G, 3G, and 4G connectivity as well. Expect support for both TDD and FDD modes ranging from 600 MHz all the way up to 5 GHz. We're hopeful that more smartphones sporting MediaTek SoCs will come to the west where FDD is prevalent.

Devices sporting the Helio M70 are scheduled to hit store shelves by the end of this year. MediaTek is targeting almost every application possible including mobile, home, and auto.

After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.